Rock band to perform on July 6th

Anime Expo has announced that the event will host Porno Graffitti as a Guests of Honor. The rock band, known for hits like “Melissa” from Fullmetal Alchemist and “Hitori no Yoru” from GTO will be performing live at Club Nokia on Saturday, July 6th.

The event will also be hosting director Masaaki Yuasa as a Guest of Honor for AX2013, where he will be presenting the North American premiere of the Kickstarter-funded project. Mr. Yuasa has been involved in many notable series such as Crayon Shin-chan, Hakkenden, My Neighbors the Yamadas, and Samurai Champloo, leading up to his directorial debut with Mind Game—the Winner of Best Film, Best Director, Best Script and Best Animation Film for the 2005 Fantasia Festival in Canada.

His other credits include Kemonozume, Kaiba, and The Tatami Galaxy.

Director’s statement on Kick-heart!

“Lately I’ve been feeling that filmmaking has become a bit rigid. Aiming for an easy hit by making it very orthodox and simple is good and something I shouldn’t disagree with, but as soon as you go outside of that rule, I’d be told, “Wait a minute, you’re stepping outside of the line,” or “What are you doing? You won’t make a hit.” I’d wonder, “isn’t there a more fun way to do this?”

Actor Megumi Han will also be apparing as a Guest of Honor for AX2013! Originally from Tokyo, Ms. Han had her screen debut in 2008 in Sakura no Sono. In 2011, she achieved her goal as a voice actress and was given the lead role of Gon Freecss inHunterxHunter.

Director Kazuhiro Furuhashi will also be a Guest of Honor for AX2013! Born in Hamamatsu City in Shizuoka Prefecture, Mr. Furuhashi began his career as an animator, and then moved to directing with the series Ranma ½.

His directorial debut was the Ranma ½ Netto Utagassen OVA. Since then, he has worked on numerous other titles such as Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story, Hunter x Hunter, Le Chevalier D’Eon, Real Drive and Amatsuki. In 2010, he began directing Mobile Suit Gundam UC (Unicorn) and is currently working on episode 7, the final episode, for that series.